Best Storage While Renovating

If you own a septic tank, you know how important proper maintenance is. If your tank backs up due to a lack of proper care, you could have a toxic sewage mess on your property. Maintaining a septic tank isn't difficult since it's a matter of having regular cleaning done and watching what you put down your drains. Here are some tips for septic tank maintenance that help you avoid a backup in your home or a leak in your yard.

1. Call For Professional Help When Needed

You can't clean out a septic tank yourself. Instead, you need to call a septic pumping contractor to clean your tank and inspect the baffles every few years. This should be done on a regular schedule as recommended by the contractor so your tank doesn't get so full that it clogs or backs up.

If your septic tank gets too full, sewage can back up in your drains or toilet. Sewage might contaminate your yard. Sludge could also clog the baffle, distribution box, or drainfield. Timely cleaning of the tank is an essential step in proper septic tank maintenance.

Another time you'll need professional help is when the septic lines clog due to tree roots, paper, or other materials. A contractor can clear out the roots or clog with a hydro jet and keep the tank flowing.

2. Avoid Using A Garbage Disposal

You can use a garbage disposal if your habits depend on one, but be aware of the consequences. If you use the disposal frequently, your tank may fill up quicker than you expect. Instead of using a disposal, you might try using a compost bucket or learn how to generate minimal waste.

If you like using a disposal, remember that everything you put in it goes in your septic tank. Some foods and debris don't break down very fast, so you should be careful about what you process in the disposal. Only things that break apart and turn to sludge quickly should go down the drains.

3. Manage Water On Your Property

It's important to avoid flooding your septic tank and drainfield with too much water. The contents of your septic tank need time to settle to the bottom of the tank, so it's good to avoid doing multiple loads of laundry a day. You may want to conserve water in other ways too such as using a low-flow toilet, so you get the best performance from your septic tank.

In addition, control water on your property so your gutters don't drain toward the drainfield. Also, avoid draining a hot tub or pool over the drainfield as that could cause problems with the field that might be costly to repair.

Contact a local septic service to get more septic tank maintenance tips.